Unwanted Return
by EndlessInspiration
Summary: When Pucks father shows up during Glee Club, it makes his world turn upside-down. Feeling hurt and angry, he gains some comfort from an unexpected friend. A Puckurt friendship fic.


Pucks father returns….

A surprise visit from an unexpected guest during Glee rehearsal sends Puck into a tailspin.

Puck stared moodily at the bleachers, angrily wiping fresh tears off of his cheeks before sighing, resting his head in his hands. His shoulders were slumped over in defeat as he stared at the metal beneath his feet, sitting at the top of the uncomfortable school bleachers that overlooked the McKinley high football stadium. Puck's head was whirring with thoughts so fast he thought it was actually going to make him sick. No matter what distraction his mind could think up of, it somehow always lead to him thinking of what had just happened; an event Puck would rather forget or hope was some kind of screwed up dream.

Unfortunately, the situation Puck had just run away from was all too real.

It had happened during an after school Glee Club rehearsal. The assignment that week was to find interesting songs that they could do for Regional's, and Puck had chosen the Guns N Roses classic, November Rain. He had just finished the song with Finn, Sam and Artie and had relished in the enthusiastic applause from the audience. He was also feeling rather studly over the wink Santana had thrown at him.

However, a steadier, slower clap sounding from the doorway interrupted the clapping and cheers from the Glee club. The sight Puck turned to see was one that made him want to run away, scream and pinch himself to be sure it was real all at the same time.

It was Pucks father.

Pucks stomach twisted into an angry knot as he thought about it. Puck hadn't seen his father for 8 years until today, when he strut into the choir room like he was some kind of hero, looking the same as the day he left with those stupid boots and 80s rock star haircut. The only difference now was that there was no beer in his hand, his face had more wrinkles, and his chin was covered in grey stubble. Puck didn't really care to remember the conversation his father attempted to have with him, as he was too shocked to listen. He was only pulled out of shock when his father said something about coming home and being a family again. After that Puck remembered he had done a lot of yelling, and, he remembered with aching knuckles, he had punched quite a few lockers after a dramatic exit that could rival one of Rachel Berry's.

He couldn't believe his father. He comes back after 8 years and thinks he can just come back home, like nothing had happened and he was forgiven. Did he truly believe everything was okay now?

_Nothing was okay…_ Puck thought to himself. Nothing was okay because he had left. And that pain had stuck with Puck every single day his entire life. Having to hear his mother cry at night, struggling to pay bills by herself, shopping at food banks for dinner and cheap thrift stores for clothes. Puck remembered how he would have to babysit at such a young age so his mother could work more shifts at the diner. How he had to be a man because there was no one else. Puck had been making money since 8th grade doing odd jobs around the neighborhood, all of the money going to his mother so they could keep their house. Sure, times were easier now, with his mother having a better job and his sister not needing daycare, but the pain was still there. Puck remembered how he had begged his father to stay after that fight, and all his father told him was "Let go of my goddamn leg you little brat and man up!" Then he left. He didn't even say goodbye.

Puck felt angry. Anger filled his veins, white hot and venomous. He wanted to lash out again. He wanted to punch something, to scream to cry, to do something to let all this out but he couldn't. He had to be a man. He had to keep his emotions in check, or he would get taken to juvie again. He had to be a better person, but that was hard when all you wanted to do was rebel and fight back. To do something to just get rid of all this pent up, crazy, intense anger. To feel that shot of adrenaline he felt whenever he did something bad, in order to momentarily forgetting about the hurt.

Puck heard small, light steps traveling up the bleacher stairs and held back a snippy remark. It was probably one of the girls, most likely Rachel. There was no way in hell it would be Quinn, and nobody else knew him well enough to care, except for maybe Mercedes. Whoever it was sat next to Puck on the bleachers without saying a word. Puck looked up after a moment and was slightly shocked when he saw Kurt Hummel sitting next to him, not looking at him, but forward at the football stadium.

Puck was confused. Hummel, with his fancy jackets, weird hats and way to tight pants, the Glee Club diva who unlike most others in the club was usually unimpressed by his "badassness" and often reacted to Pucks dirty jokes and criminal stories with eye rolls and sarcastic bitchy comments. Of all the kids in Glee club, they decided to send Hummel to try and comfort him?

As Kurt sat next to Puck, not saying anything, Puck thought to himself that he had never really spoken to Kurt before. Sure, they had performed together, said hello here and there, and Puck remembered how he had prayed for Kurt during his hard times when his dad was sick. But other than that, he couldn't think of a single one on one interaction between the two of them.

"They didn't send me." Kurt broke the silence finally. "I came to find you myself. Everyone else thought you'd just blow off some steam, punch a few more lockers, and then be fine."

Pucks fist clenched up at the ignorance of the Glee Club members, a little hurt nobody seemed to care. Nobody seemed to understand that he wasn't just pissed; he was actually hurt. He felt heartbroken.

"I came looking for you, because I know judging by the way you were all shaky voiced and glassy eyed back in rehearsal that you weren't just "kinda pissed off" in there, as our fellow Glee Club members eloquently put it."

_So Hummel was perceptive…_ Puck thought to himself, still not looking at Kurt. Kurt sighed after a moment of silence, placing a tentative hand on Pucks shoulder, squeezing slightly. Puck didn't bother to shrug it off. What was the point? He was way past the whole "Don't let the gay kid touch you" thing. It was stupid and pretty ignorant. Kurt couldn't make Puck "catch the gay" anymore than Karofsky and Azimio could "scare away the gay" out of Kurt. Besides, there was no way Kurt liked Puck or anything. Even Puck had to admit that he was an asshole to Kurt, and had pretty much made his freshman year hell along with the rest of the football team. He had stopped doing it now that Kurt was in Glee, but he hadn't exactly apologized either.

"What are you doing here Hummel?" Puck questioned, looking straight ahead at the football field. It was completely silent and empty, and a light breeze was blowing, brushing softly against Pucks face. It felt nice.

"I can only imagine how hurt you must feel, Noah..." Kurt began, trailing off his sentence. Puck was surprised by how nice if sounded to have someone call him by his real name. "I could tell you I know how it feels to lose a parent since I lost my mom-"

"But you don't." Puck said shortly, looking up. Kurt nodded.

"Because our situations are completely different."

"Because your mom was taken from you, but my dad left willingly." Puck said bitterly, wringing his hands together, not looking directly at Kurt. "I begged and I pleaded and I cried and he still left. And he never came back. And now he thinks he can just waltz back into our lives like nothing happened…" Puck chocked on the words that were rapidly spilling from his mouth, letting a tear roll down his face. He was past caring about his badass reputation. He was breaking down. "It just hurts. You know I used to cry and pray for him to come home every night?" He looked up at Kurt, who with wide, bright blue sympathetic eyes, stayed silent. " Yeah, I stopped that when I was 10, realizing it was no good. He was never coming back. I had to become the man of the house at age 9. I could never join sports teams because we couldn't afford to. I had to help pay bills by working around the neighborhood, and get a legitimate job at age 12. And now he thinks he gets to come back? We were getting on fine without him. I don't want him in my life."

"He really hurt you." Kurt stated simply, the hand on Pucks shoulder now rubbing up and down. Puck felt more tears spill down his face and he wiped them away, clasping his hands in front of his face, resting his chin on them. If felt nice to have somebody there to talk to. To not have to be stone cold with his emotions all the time.

"Im not a bad person Hummel." Puck said, finally looking at the boy. "Im not. I just get so angry sometimes, and I pick on people and do bad things because I don't know how else to vent it out. Well, until I found Glee." Both boys smiled a bit at that. "I don't want to be that guy. I want to be a good person, a good father, whose always there and supports his family. And I cant even do that because Quinn gave Beth away…"

"I know it hurts." Kurt said, watching as more tears spilled from Puck's eyes. "But now wasn't the right time for both of you. I'm sure you'll be a great dad, Noah, but Beth will have a better life with her new mother. You'll get your family one-day. Now just wasn't the time."

"It doesn't change the fact that things suck."

"You're such a pessimist." Kurt said in a teasing voice. Puck quirked an eyebrow at the unfamiliar word and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I'm saying you're really negative."

"Oh."

"Hey Noah?"

"Yeah, Hu- Kurt?" Kurt smiled at the use of his full name.

"You don't have to be a bully Noah." Kurt said, fidgeting slightly under Pucks gaze. "You can be the good guy I know you are. You're clearly a strong, determined person. And you're better than your dad. Because I know you'd never leave and you always try your hardest at things no matter what. You'd never run out on people."

"Thank you Kurt."

"No problem Noah." Kurt said, and then surprisingly gave Puck a hug. Puck surprised Kurt when he didn't pull away, instead hugging him back tightly, relishing in the feeling of comfort he hadn't felt in a while.

"You know Hummel," Puck said as he pulled away, now feeling like his old self. "Once you get past all the freaky clothes and diva bitch attitude, you're not that bad."

Kurt smiled, brushing invisible dirt of his pants before strutting, rather than walking, down the bleacher steps.

" I try."


End file.
